Co-driver Michael McAleenan qualified the car tenth overall for the CTSCC race and closed to fifth before handing over to Cavan O’Keefe. The car was still battling to stay in the top ten when the pit stop for the final driver change happened with 70 minutes to go. Gidley was itching to get in, knowing a top five was a possibility. He had, after all, turned the fourth-best time of the 15 cars in Grand Sport in Practice 2.

“It was nice to jump into the car in practice and be right in the mix of some very good competition,” Gidley said.

Memo Gidley turning fast laps in Maserati GT4 – Todd Telford photo

But something was wrong when Gidley finally strapped in when it counted. The problem was diagnosed as a bad wheel bearing, and the car was sent behind the wall to fix it, losing seven laps. The thrill of actual competition vanished.

This was the first pro race for Motorsports USA who have a long history of running in Sports Car Club of America amateur events. That experience and professionalism helped in minimizing the time lost. It probably also helped them accept their bad luck.

“They know how to get things done,” Gidley said. “Of course it’s frustrating for the whole team to have that happen, but it was nice to get out here and run in a competitive class, make an impression with the other teams and the series.”

The weekend for The Racers Group, owned by Kevin Buckler of Novato, started splendidly, went south in the middle of the race, but closed strong.

Brandon Davis took pole for TRG with a time of 1:32.549 at 87.054mph in the No. 71 Wolfwood Refuge/Newfoundland Place Aston Martin Vantage GT4 he would share with Greg Milzcik.

The No. 3 Stor-it/Mobettah Aston Martin Vantage GT4 would start from 15th, qualified by Craig Lyons who would be teamed with Kris Wilson.

Davis made his pole pay off and edged away from the McLaren running second before handing over to Milcik. But a problem with the brakes left Milcik beached.

“The car developed an ABS problem going into the Corkscrew midway through the race which put us in the gravel traps,” Buckler said “By then, despite the overwhelming speed of the car, it was too late and we went down a couple of laps.”

Lyons too would fall off the lead lap due to the timing of cautions and pit cycles.

But late in the going Wilson in the No. 3 and Davis back in the No. 71 showed they had more than enough in hand to keep with the leaders. In the final hour Davis set fastest race lap at 1:33.466, closing on the leaders to try to get his final lap back. He stayed out while the leaders pitted during a late caution and regained the lead lap that way. Another caution put him back into the lead cue, in tenth.

On the first lap of green he ducked inside the No. 7 Mustang of Alan Brynjolfsson/Chris Hall exiting Turn 9 and turned that into an outside pass into Turn 10. A lap later the No. 35 Porsche spun in front of him, and Davis was 8th with the tail end of the top five in sight. But with just 12 minutes to go, Davis had to pit for fuel. He returned as the last car on the lead lap, back in tenth, and would stay that way until the checker.

Wilson in the No. 3 used the same ploy of not pitting to get back on the lead lap but only just. When the caution ended he restarted just two cars ahead of the overall race leader. Wilson pulled away, hoping for a caution in the closing laps. A stranded Miata in the gravel exiting Turn 5 looked like the break he yearned for, but IMSA officials thought that the car’s position wasn’t dangerous enough for a full-course caution, only a standing yellow at that corner.

In the end Wilson too had to stop for a splash of fuel with just three minutes to go, dropping the car to 12th at the end. While neither car cracked the top ten in the results, their pace showed that they deserved to be there.

“The team did a phenomenal job all weekend,” Buckler said. “I’m so proud of our effort and our heart.”

In what has become a recurring theme over much of the last decade, Novato native Dave Smith scrambled to put together a last-minute ride for the Carneros 200 and then faced a blizzard of adversity in Saturday’s feature race during Sonoma Raceway’s NASCAR Toyota/Save Mart 350 race weekend.

Considering all that he went through to make it to the checkered flag on the lead lap, Smith punched above his weight to bring the car home 17th.

“It’s a frickin’ war out there,” Smith said drenched in sweat before emerging from his car. “During the race a lot of crazy stuff happened as usual. I managed to come away with a top 20 and I’m pretty happy with that.”

Things for this weekend came together when Smith secured the fifth car in the John Wood Racing fleet, the No. 30 Baker Energy/Wild Flower Bread/Ken Nix & Assoc. Ford Fusion, with a little help from friend and employer, former Giants manager Dusty Baker. The car came with a good pedigree; it was driven by former NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion Dylan Kwasniewski.

While some of his teammates drove cars that generally only turn left, Smith had a ride better suited for the task when it rolled off the trailer.

“This is a road course car, but I don’t think the team had the time to prepare it,” Smith said. “The last time it ran was Miller (Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah) and I don’t think it had had a wrench turned on it since then.”

In Friday practice Smith spent almost the whole session in the paddock or on pit lane, only turning 3 laps.

“In practice a brake line fell off and a sway bar fell off but with only cosmetic damage,” Smith said. “After that the guys were great. John got his crew going and they worked until 10 o’clock putting it back together and squaring it up and we had a race car. Qualified it in two laps. It was a decent race car at that point.”

Smith qualified 17th and held is own at the start, picking off a couple of the drivers that surged ahead shortly after the green flag, ascending back to 16th by the first yellow flag caution period.

Then he got unexpectedly loose in a corner and feared that he had a tire going down. He pitted, but all tires were up and surmised that it was fluid on the track that pitched him sideways. He fell to 23rd.

Restarting as the last car on the lead lap and behind several lapped cars, Smith scrambled his way back to 17th during a flurry of restarts where the track was only green one lap or less.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West is primarily an oval championship, and the series has adopted an “intermission” format where all teams have five minutes to refuel and work on the car. Then each car returns to the track in the order that it came off it. This concept is to not punish the teams that don’t have the resources for top-notch pit crews.

The Wood Racing team doesn’t usually run five cars, and thus doesn’t keep five full-time pit crews. That fact bit Smith as he prepared for a second-half charge.

“We didn’t even get any fuel in the car at the intermission and I was saving fuel the rest of the race with no fuel reload,” Smith said. “I don’t know how that happens.”

With all the caution period running during the first half, Smith surmised that he might just be able to save enough fuel to make it to the end. He short-shifted where he could when he didn’t have to defend his position and crossed under the start-finish in 4th gear while other drivers were in 3rd.

Then came insult to injury, or rather insult with injury.

“The shift knob came off. I had no shifter. There’s a hole in my hand,” Smith said. “The shift knob is flying around in the car, hitting my feet, getting under the brake pedal.”

But while others had used up their tires and car by the closing stages, Smith raced smart enough to be able to hold his own as his now smoking car never let anyone past in the final laps.

When it was all done, the 50-year-old racer was able to reflect on the adversity he was able to overcome and the people that help keep his career going.

“Dusty Baker helps me out a little bit. I’m an underdog and he was like that in baseball until he got drafted,” Smith said. “I’m thankful for his friendship and I wanted to make him proud, so hopefully today we did that.”

His crew chief Kevin McCarty gave Smith a lucky coin from 1868 to keep in his racing suit. When Smith handed it back after the race, both felt that it had worked its magic, all things considered.

Smith takes a different perspective on adversity.

“The more difficult stuff I drive, the better driver I become,” he said.

Despite the lack of a Cinderella story, Smith remains proud of what a shoestring effort can accomplish.

“I’m thrilled with everybody that came together at the last minute. It’s the story of my life. I wish I could get a top quality ride,” Smith said. “That’s the story of my career; equipment that’s not quite ready and not a full-on, A+ effort. But we do pretty good with a C+ effort and I’m pretty grateful for that.”

Dyer’s Acura on the banking at Daytona at the Roar before the 24 test – Photo by Brian Cleary

Corte Madera’s Tom Dyer validated the faith put in him by Honda Performance Development and Acura, contributing a couple of solid drives in the rain to be in or close to the GT Daytona class lead overnight in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. As the race wound down, Dyer’s co-driver Jeff Segal was in sight of the podium positions, and within a second of the car ahead throughout most of the final hour. At the checker, he brought home the Michael Shank Racing No. 86 Acura NSX GT3 in fifth spot in class, just 8.371 seconds behind the victor.

While fifth on the road meant fifth in GTD points in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship standings, Dyer, Segal, and fellow co-drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Ozz Negri are atop the points in the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup. The TPNAEC is a separate championship among the four marquee endurance races on IMSA’s 12-race calendar. Along with points paid at the finish, the TPNAEC pays points for the top five at the 6, 12, and 18 hour marks. The No. 86 earned it’s lead by being at or near the front when darkness reigned on the 3.56-mile course that pairs the 33-degree high banks with a tight infield section.

But only a couple of minutes into the race, these kinds of successes seemed a long-odds proposition. Segal, who also started the race, was eased off the racing line in the first couple of minutes, falling to 20th in class even before the tires were up to temperature. He picked off five spots before the first round of pit stops. Both the No. 86 and the team’s other NSX, the No. 93, went one lap further on fuel than most of the leaders in class and capitalized by ascending the ranks. Dyer’s car was ninth at the first restart after a caution flag, and sixth after the next.

When Dyer started his first stint behind the wheel it was already dark. A light mist then turned to rain. Although enjoying his first ever drive as a factory driver and in the hunt for the class lead, it was hard to savor it. In the rain there are no chances to relax for even a second as you can do sometimes in the dry.

“It was all very cool, but to be honest I don’t think about it much when I’m driving or in the middle of it,” Dyer said of leading in a long endurance race. “You’ re aware of what’s going on and what spot or position your in, but especially in those conditions you’re in a zone of concentration that works best when you don’t think too much. So instead of thinking something like wow this is cool, it’s more like you need to be a machine consistently hitting your marks or targets and knocking out laps continuing what got you there in the first place.”

The rain lasted far longer than most teams anticipated. The MSR crew compensated for it perfectly, despite this being the first ever race for the new Acura NSX GT3.

“The car wasn’t set-up specifically for the wet conditions but we were able to make a couple quick adjustments during the early pit stops to help it,” Dyer said. “I like driving in the wet and utilized my prior experience to fall back on and it all worked out. To that extent everyone on the team who drove it in the wet for the first time did exactly that.”

The team stayed on the lead lap the rest of the race, running in sixth most of the afternoon before the 2:30 p.m. finish. Ironically, the one spot they did make up was at the expense of the sister car which lost the front body panel – what would be considered the hood if the engine were up front. That, and a later off-course excursion, dropped them out of the top five and they finished 11th in class.

Leading the TPNAC is early validation of potential.

“It was a strong showing to come out of the gate with and I’m most of all happy for our partner Acura and the Michael Shank Racing team. They have been working completely flat out to make the debut for this program as successful as possible and there is no better reward for them than to come away from our maiden race with a really excellent overall finish. They truly deserve it!” Dyer said. “There is also plenty to still accomplish and improve on, but it feels good to savor the moment and appreciate this accomplishment.”

For team owner Michael Shank, preparation was the only path to success for a brand new race car.

“The key to this result was constantly digging and never stopping – with a plan,” Shank said. “Having a plan helped us a lot here. We talked a lot about the things that could happen in this race and we were ready for them. I’m so pleased to execute on those plans and be able to have this kind of debut for the NSX.

“On top of that, all of our guys on the pit lane were just awesome,” he continued. “Every time we went into the pit box, we came out in better position than we were when we went in. I’m thankful, but I’m disappointed because both of our cars should have been in the top-five with no problem. But all in all it was just a great debut and I couldn’t be happier for the team, Acura, and HPD. This feels very good and we’re looking forward to a great year ahead.”

Dyer’s contract is for the four races that constitute the TPNAEC, and its second race is also the second race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Sebring, Florida on March 18.

For Verizon IndyCar points leader Simon Pagenaud, the similarities between his quest for his first title and the scenario played out by Penske Racing teammate Juan Montoya last year at Sonoma Raceway have to be a little ominous.

Montoya came to the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma season finale up 47 points over Scott Dixon, with victories paying 50 points. But since the championship decider was a double-points affair, Montoya had the pace to tiptoe to the title if he just finished in the top seven. Then Dixon won pole and added a point, so if he lead most laps and won the race he could tie the leader on points if he finished sixth. Dixon would win on the tiebreaker, three wins to Montoya’s two on the year.

And that is exactly how it played out. Despite battling back from early contact that buried Montoya deep in the field, the whole championship came down to reeling in fifth-place driver Ryan Briscoe and passing him. As the laps wound down, Montoya closed to a few car lengths, within sight of his title, but never got close enough to force his way through for the crown.

Like Montoya the year before, Pagenaud started the year on fire to make him the early prohibitive favorite. Finishing second in the first two races then winning the next three, he was at times over 100 points ahead of the man he must now defeat, Penske teammate Will Power.

Power had to sit out the first race with concussion symptoms from a practice crash, and it took him months to claw his way back into the top five in points. Four wins put him in position to challenge Pagenaud with two rounds to go: the ultra-fast undulating road course at Watkins Glen, N.Y. and Sonoma.

Will Power heads away from the Turn 9 chicane – Todd Telford photo

Power started at the Glen on the front row while Pagenaud was on the fourth. Title momentum swung in the balance. But at the green it was Power who faltered at Turn 1 while Pagenaud slipped inside at the apex, vaulting from seventh to third in just a few seconds. The Frenchman’s early run put the pressure on Power to keep pace and not fall too far behind.

Ultimately Power was caught out trying to defend his position, pinching the car of Charlie Kimball who was trying to make a pass on driver’s left at the exit of the esses at over 175 mph. Kimball didn’t back off, nudging Power onto the grass and bouncing off the Armco barrier. Power’s race was done, with Pagenaud looking likely to podium. Momentum to Pagenaud.

But as the Glen event wound down, it became a fuel strategy race and Pagenaud had to go slow enough to not run short of fuel or risk coming in for a pit stop and having to make up the time lost. Others chose the latter strategy while Pagenaud’s team opted for the conservative approach which would’ve paid extra dividends if the caution came out and slowed the field for a few laps. A possible second or third place fell by the wayside, with Pagenaud eventually fading to seventh at the checkered flag.

It was a frustrating result for Pagenaud, not only missing out on capitalizing on Power’s misfortune but not having the fuel to defend his position on the track, a sitting duck to those that could run full rich on fuel after a stop.

So on Sunday, Pagenaud will start the day up 43 points on Power unless the Aussie trims that by one through taking pole position on Saturday. If he does, then he could equal Dixon’s feat last year in taking maximum points on the weekend. In that scenario, Pagenaud would tie on points with a fifth if Power won, and again the tiebreaker would go to the pursuer. So unless Pagenaud leads a lap to claim a point, a weekend sweep by Power would require that Pagenaud would have to finish fourth or better to earn his first IndyCar title. If Power finishes second or worse, a top ten finish for Pagenaud should earn the Astor Cup and the title it represents.

Oddly enough, Pagenaud might best be served by focusing on those other than Power this weekend. Power has earned pole position at Sonoma Raceway six of the last seven times, and considering what’s at stake, only a fool would bet against him to do it again. And don’t forget, Power claimed his first and only IndyCar title by beating teammate Helio Castroneves just two years ago.

Power’s plan will be to lead from the start and disappear into the distance. Pagenaud needs to keep him in sight, and fend off other IndyCar champions Dixon, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and from the CART Champ Car era former champions Montoya, and Sebastien Bourdais.

Despite double points, Pagenaud and Power are the only drivers mathematically alive. While Honda won the biggest battle this year, the Indy 500 with Nevada City, Cal. racer Alexander Rossi at the wheel, Chevy is again guaranteed to power the new champion.

Qualifying for the GroPro Sonoma Grand Prix will be Saturday at 3:05 p.m. while Sunday’s race gets the green at 3:30 p.m. Also on the schedule will be four races for the Pirelli World Challenge and a pair from a local open-wheel series, the Formula Car Challenge.

The only Marin driver running this weekend, Jason Alexandridis of Novato, will drive the TRG Aston Martin Racing No. 09 Rebounderz Rohnert Park Aston Martin Vantage GT4 V8 in Saturday’s GTS race. TRG (which stands for The Racer’s Group) is owned by Kevin Bucker of Novato, a class winner in his own cars at both the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Tickets start at $15 for Friday, $35 on Saturday, with general admission $39 and reserved seats $55 and up on Sunday.

Michael Whelden shares a Lexus with four other drivers at the 2013 25 Hours of Thunderhill – Todd Telford photo

While Sonoma Raceway is gearing up for the Verizon IndyCar season finale Sept. 16-18, this weekend many of the series’ traditional supporting races are congregating at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. For many years the Mazda brand has been providing a pathway to the top levels of the sport, and all will be showcased on the famed 2.3-mile road course.

The three tiers that make up the Mazda Road to Indy, Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, and Cooper Tires USF2000, will all crown open-wheel champions this weekend. For those looking to move up the ranks in sports cars and sports prototypes, the Prototype Lites class sanctioned by IMSA will run three rounds at Laguna before the two final races along with the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta at the end of the month.

Sausalito racer Michael Whelden, a rookie in the Lites class, comes into the weekend fourth in points with two podiums and a total of seven top-five finishes in the nine races thus far. With 20 points on offer for victory and just 16 points behind the man third in the championship, the Laguna rounds could be pivotal in Whelden’s season. And a trio of podiums could vault him into title contention.

Whereas most tracks that he’s raced on this season have been new for Whelden, a return to Northern California means he immediately knows the quick way around and the sneaky places to pass. And after a rocky road at the last race weekend, Whelden is ready to pounce on the opportunity.

“Looking to shake off some bad luck and put in some good podium finishes,” Whelden said from the track. “I know the track well, so I’m putting my knowledge to good use.”

Prototype Lites race at 1:05 p.m. Saturday with rounds at 8:55 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. Sunday. Keeping his nose clean (and intact) will be crucial in the morning race because damage incurred could effect two races as the championship winds down.

Also on the program will be two races for the Mazda MX-5 Global Cup featuring huge fields of Miatas likely to square off some of their rounded bodywork. All in all there will be 12 championship races Friday through Sunday, so if you thrive on close competition you’ll get as much as possible this weekend at Laguna. Tickets are $40 Friday, $50 Saturday, and $60 Sunday.

The snarl heard around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend will have a decidedly German accent as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion celebrates the 100th anniversary of BMW. Of the over 900 entry requests submitted, 46 of the 550 cars accepted were BMWs. To augment the BMW fanfare on the track, the factory has sent a bevy of cars and motorcycles significant in the history of the manufacturer to be on display in the paddock at the BMW Living Legends Garage.

Among the cars on display will be a few of my rare favorites, a 1999 BMW V12 LMR open-cockpit prototype that I saw win at Sears Point, and several of the M1s that were used in the Procar series that in ’79 and ’80 shared the weekend with Formula 1 races like the Monaco Grand Prix. Each Procar race would pit current F1 drivers against local sports-car champions from the host country. Enthusiasm often got the better of the young drivers trying to make a name for themselves. In ’79 at the swimming pool complex at Monaco the Procar series saw five M1s wrecked in three different accidents, one resting atop the fence separating the track from the swimming pool.

Also among the 60 cars on display are several of the one-off “art cars” that BMW would enter in the 24 Hours of Le Mans every few years with livery designed and applied by a world-renowned artist. In my one trip to Le Mans in ’79, I saw and shot that year’s BMW art car, an M1 painted by Andy Warhol.

While their racing and market rival Porsche has earned its reputation through Le Mans victories by sleek, purpose-built prototypes such as the 917, 962, and 911 GT1/98, BMW has kept most of their factory racing programs linked to production-based cars. Perhaps the most storied and iconic are the variations of the 3.0 CSL and 3.5 CSL from the mid-’70s, Group 4 GT cars which racked up loads of international victories and more in the US with the fledgling International Motor Sports Association.

The 3.0 CSL was the first car I every photographed on three wheels in ’75. At the exit of Laguna’s Corkscrew, chassis roll and a stiff rear end left the right-front tire pawing the air lap after lap. Having just turned 19 I was awestruck. And a man I would interview many times in the ensuing years, Hans Stuck, became my first hero in a BMW.

That’s the car pictured above. And that platform became the first of the BMW art cars, painted by Alexander Calder.

BMW isn’t alone in being celebrated for an anniversary at Laguna this weekend. Fifty years ago the Sports Car Club of America ushered in factory involvement in road racing with the Trans-Am for production-based sports cars and the Can-Am for all-out, purpose-built, open-cockpit prototypes.

I saw my first Trans-Am at Sears Point in ’69. Parnelli Jones was unable to keep his Mustang in front of the factory Camaro of Mark Donohue in Penske Racing blue. Points only went to manufacturers, not drivers, so George Follmer tried to keep Donohue at bay in third as long as he could and let his teammate slip away. But both Mustangs couldn’t deny Donohue victory on that day.

Road racing attracted factory attention when the SCCA Trans-Am was born 50 years ago. Production pony cars like this Mustang Boss 302 cemented the legend. Todd Telford photo.

The following year I saw my first Can-Am at Laguna, witnessing a Team McLaren sweep by Peter Gethin and Denny Hulme. The enormous 494 cubic-inch Chevies left plenty of ultra-wide rubber out of the Corkscrew, but the outright speed between Laguna’s original Turns 2 and 3 viewed from the infield hill put that speed in perspective.

The “anything goes” concept of the SCCA Can-Am yielded some beautiful brutes like this 1970 McLaren M8F. Todd Telford photo.

The McLarens and other vintage Can-Am cars from the late ’60s and early ’70s will race in the penultimate race on Saturday followed by the Trans-Am cars. Also on Saturday will be races for FIA endurance and IMSA GT cars including a bevy of Bimmers. Sunday will feature earlier FIA cars, IMSA GTP prototypes, and closing out the weekend, Formula 1 cars from ’67 to ’84.

The McLaren M23 won Grand Prix races four successive years, ’73 to ’76. Todd Telford photo.

Marin drivers abound in the proceedings, with many doing double duty. Chris Locke of San Anselmo will drive his ex-Andretti ’77 Lotus 78-Cosworth and a ’63 Lotus 27 Formula Junior earlier in the weekend. Locke’s Formula 1 Lotus was used in the movie “Rush” with Locke himself behind the wheel wearing an Andretti replica helmet.

Novato’s Michael Vogel will race a striking Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider and a ’67 Camaro that raced in the early years of Trans-Am. Tom Price of Larkspur will race a lovely ’32 Alfa Romeo 8C then slide into one of the most iconic sports cars of all time, a ’63 Ferrari GTO, less than an hour later.

The father of Verizon IndyCar racer JR Hildebrand, John Hildebrand of Sausalito, will drive a ’64 Pontiac Tempest/GTO. And in a full family affair, Mill Valley residents Edward, Alec, and Marc Hugo will all drive Porsche 356s from the early ’60s.

Each day starts with qualifying races for the seven feature races to follow in the afternoon. Tickets are $100 Saturday and $80 Sunday with the two-day tab $130.

A photo pass to the Sonoma Raceway NASCAR Toyota/Save Mart 350 Sprint Cup race is a coveted piece of cardboard. It lets you get so close to cars that you can almost touch them at over 100 mph, feel the shake of the ground and rush of the wind as they pass.

On no other track do these cars get more airborne intentionally, so it is a photographer’s dream to get the angles when one or even two wheels are in the air. It’s like a steel safari with charging beasts that never yield.

I’m going to take you on a chronological tour of last year’s race, starting with Friday practice. I started at Sonoma’s Turn 2, just after the flat crest.

Sam Hornish lays rubber at the exit of Turn 2 – Todd Telford photo

Then I moved up to Turn 3A where all the hopping happened.

Carl Edwards leaps over Turn 3A – Todd Telford photo

The six-time champ got a little frisky…

Jimmie Johnson gets wicked air at Turn 3A – Todd Telford photo

And over the crest, cars slid out towards the exit curbing, drivers trying not to lift.

Brad Keselowski bursts over Turn 3A crest – Todd Telford photo

After qualifying and with the day’s work done, it was time to head for the motorhome.

Dale Earnhardt leaves the covered NASCAR garage – Todd Telford photo

On race day I decided to watch the start where much of the action was expected. Photographers only had unobstructed views from a little mini-bleacher that could fit no more than five people. I shot from a lower step then moved up when other photographers moved on.

Then I went around the tenant garages and poked between them and the end of the sound wall. You can get right next to the concrete wall right at pit entry. Coming from Turn 10, you see the cars cling to, and occasionally exceed, the edge of the track before blasting past you. Sometimes a piece of rubber will get flung at you. All the senses, and your sense of self-preservation, are at their peak.

Looking towards Turn 11 you see the cars squirm under their downshifts and braking.

Heading back towards Turn 10 behind the sound wall, there are little gated holes where photographers can squeeze in behind the concrete protected by tire walls. This is a prime impact zone, as was proven right before my eyes.

The 38 rams the tire wall outside of Turn 10 – Todd Telford photo

But the perspective from there is fantastic, although the light isn’t great from most angles in the afternoon. At last I got to see the panorama, the grandeur of the event.

Sonoma winner Kyle Busch sweeps through Turn 10 – Todd Telford photo

The No. 78 of Martin Truex Jr. drove one of several cars to be shortened by the Sonoma Raceway walls.

During the caution period I took the opportunity to head through the tunnel underneath the track and shoot the entry into Turn 10 from the inside. From there you can really see how much body roll the cars experience in that left/right transition.

Cars swing towards the entry to Turn 10 – Todd Telford photo

And then finally I got to shoot with fans in the background. Thousands of families sat in the terraced seating with their cookers, the kids with their toys, and the sun baking down.

Aric Almirola sweeps past the fans at 130 mph – Todd Telford photo

One spot where front wheels paw the air is at the start of Turn 9 after another right/left transition and a change in terrain that accentuates the lean angle.

Another caution period helps me decide where I’m going to be for the finish. Since I’m already in the infield, I just cross the drag strip and head up the hill on the outside of Turn 1 for the restart.

An orderly restart, soon to get messy – Todd Telford photo

NASCAR Sprint Cup stock cars aren’t known for knife-edge handling around Sonoma Raceway. Their weight, 3400 lb., means you have to point them exactly where you want them. Entering Turn 1, the right line lets you lift just that tiny bit later for Turn 2.

After shooting in the shade under the bridge from an unused flag stand, I moved up the hill for the race’s finale. The finale restart set the stage for a fantastic storybook ending for Kyle Busch.

Turf wars in Turn 2 at the last restart – Todd Telford photo

Kevin Harvick slides over the crest of Turn 2 – Todd Telford photo

Busch’s victory made him Chase eligible if he could claw his way back into the top 30 in points. He of course made short work of that task, and became a worthy and popular (in most circles) NASCAR Sprint Cup champion.

The Grand Marshall for this weekend’s Sonoma Historics presented by SVRA, the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, is a driver who let his results do the talking: George Follmer. In the late ’60s, American road racing was hitting its heyday with both the Trans-Am for production-based pony cars and Can-Am for sleek, low-slung, open cockpit sports racers snatching the international spotlight from European endurance racing.

It was a time for heroes to be made, and in the Trans-Am’s Ford versus Chevy battle it was Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones in a Mustang versus Mark Donohue in a Camaro. Jones’ teammate, Follmer, was the wing man, a little outside the limelight. It wasn’t until the early ’70s that he truly became the man to beat.

A switch to AMC Javelin proved to be the pivotal move and Follmer became the only driver to claim both the Trans-Am and Can-Am championships in the same year, 1972. On the Can-Am side, Follmer was one of several who drove the mighty Porsche 917/10 with upwards of 800 horsepower.

Those two series are celebrated this weekend in Sonoma as they both turn 50 this year. Races for those cars are among the 13 races for nearly 400 vintage race cars. Cars range from tiny Formula Juniors to brutish Shelby Cobras, ’60s-era stock cars to knee-high sports racers.

Follmer was on my radar from the very beginning, starting with the Sears Point round of the SCCA Trans-Am series in ’69. It was the second pro race I had ever witnessed, and the first that carried national attention. A racing fan from age six when I heard my first Indy 500 over the radio, I was in ’69 a 13-year-old ecstatic teenager witnessing a jaw-dropping battle.

The Trans-Am in that year was a championship for manufacturers with no individual driver’s champion. From the green flag it was Parnelli and Follmer in Mustangs trying to hold off Donohue in the dark blue Sunoco Camaro. I was sitting on the hill above Turn 9 with my dad, watching the iconic factory pony cars sashay through the esses and slide through Turn 10, laying rubber at the exit at over 100 mph.

While Jones pulled out to an immediate lead, Follmer’s role was clear: hold back Donohue to protect his teammate. As Jones inched away, Donohue was right on Follmer’s tail lap after lap. It was then that I saw that there was valor even when you don’t win. Follmer’s defense of second place was what was needed for the team, for the manufacturer, for the championship.

It was like a sword fight with Donohue thrusting repeatedly and Follmer sweeping the foil aside. Finally a perry hit home and Donohue’s will was satiated. In the end Donohue bested Jones as well and disappeared into the distance. But the Follmer-Donohue duel was the first relentless battle I witnessed between top-notch racers. And although he wasn’t a true headliner at that moment, Follmer became one for me.

I later saw him win the Laguna Seca round of the Can-Am in ’72 and years later at Laguna he ran in a match race between two Shadow Can-Am cars and two Shadow Formula 1 cars. Follmer started out front but the F1 cars, one of whom was driven by James Hunt, were able to slip past.

Follmer raced and won in just about everything. He posted a podium finish in one of the Shadow F1 cars at the Spanish Grand Prix, and later scored a podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His resume includes top-fives in NASCAR including a pole at Riverside, a win in the International Race of Champions all-star events in identical cars, the title in the US Road Racing Championship that preceded the Can-Am, and wins in the SCCA Continental Challenge Formula A series.

He raced big-block V8s, Porsche turbos, and 3-liter F1 Cosworth DFVs. They all delivered their power differently, and he mastered them all. George Follmer was a quick study of the cutting edge of technology then, and tamed the brute force of all that torque with a right foot adept in the subtlety required.

Although he’s only raced professionally over the last two years during the month of May at Indy, Marin native JR Hildebrand exhibited the patience, pace, car feedback, and well-timed aggression of a veteran in Sunday’s 100th running of the Indy 500. Hildebrand battled back from adversity, led for a while, and brought home sixth for Ed Carpenter Racing in the No. 6 Preferred Refrigeration Services Chevy. It was his fourth top ten finish in six starts at the Brickyard.

For decades winning drivers have said that the first half of the 500 is mostly about staying in touch with the leaders and refining your car. The second half is when you make your charge.

True to form, Hildebrand started the 500 from 15th spot on the grid and held station in the middle teens throughout the first half of the race.

“We dialed in the car with both wing and tire pressure adjustments over the first three or four stops,” Hildebrand said. “I knew what we needed and we got to it. Set us up with a car that was very racy.”

At the restart after a caution period ended on lap 105 of 200, Hildebrand made a savvy move. While most of those in front crowded toward the inside line after getting the green flag, JR went wide around the outside and passed four cars including those of points leader Simon Pagenaud and reigning series champ Scott Dixon. Hildebrand went from 13th to ninth in a couple of seconds, and stayed in the top ten through to the next caution period.

But all that effort ended up being squandered with bad luck in the pits.

“We had an equipment issue a couple of times during the race,” Hildebrand said. “An air jack problem was the big loss.”

Hildebrand fell from tenth to 21st and proceeded to claw his way back toward the front car by car. He passed eight cars in 14 laps including that of Team Penske favorite Will Power. Hildebrand again cracked the top ten by three-quarter’s distance.

JR had pitted with the leaders when the caution came out, meaning that all those who hadn’t pitted on the lead lap would fall behind him. That put Hildebrand sixth at the restart where he forced his will again.

At the green he fended off former 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay into Turn 1, and lunged inside Carlos Munoz for fifth into Turn 2. Then when Helio Castroneves was unable to pass JR’s teammate Josef Newgarden for third going side by side through Turn 4, Hildebrand was ready to pounce. He swung out from behind the Penske driver, capitalizing on the draft, as the pair entered the front stretch. Castroneves saw the move coming and edged left to block. But Hildebrand was going faster and committed.

JR clipped the left rear corner of Castroneves’ car, dislodging the pontoon behind the wheel. The carbon fiber bodywork fell back behind the wheel, threatening to break free into the path of other competitors. But thankfully before that played out, Taku Sato caromed off the Turn 4 exit wall a lap later and brought out the caution.
“He made a move that I wasn’t expecting and I clipped him while making the pass,” Hildebrand said. “I hadn’t intended to cut it that close. I was fortunate that the damage to my car didn’t affect my race, and wasn’t pleased that it affected Helio as it did.”

The strategy of how teams would react to the timing of that yellow determined the eventual winner. Under green flag conditions, Indy cars get about 30 laps on a tank of fuel there. Most pitted under yellow with 35 laps to go.

But Hildebrand’s ECR team saw a potential winning strategy and stayed out. Although he had a few more laps on his tires, Hildebrand could run out front in clean air. If the track stayed green just about everybody would have to make one more stop anyway. True, Hildebrand would be the first to pit and would take tires while the those stopping several laps later would just get a splash and no tires. And each second in the pits is a football field on the track.

But if the caution did come out, Hildebrand was likely to be among the first at the restart to run at full pace unlike those trying to win without a stop, relying on an economy run.

As it turned out, the economy run was the winning formula. Alexander Rossi was one of two drivers to go those 35 laps without refueling that beat Hildebrand under the checkered flag.

I have an unusual connection to Rossi, although I’m not sure if I ever met him. His father Pieter used to race in the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School arrive-and-drive series when I was working there in the sales department until Oct. 2003. I was overseeing the points standings in the Russell annual championship. Pieter was fast in our rotary-powered Formula Russell cars, winning races and running near the front consistently. Alexander would’ve been no more than 11 when I knew his dad racing with us. But I’m hoping that part of that desire to race Formula 1 and eventually become the winner of the 100th running of the world’s most famous race caught fire watching his dad beat the rest through the twisting corners of what was then Infineon Raceway.

And despite knowing him as I did, I cannot fathom what it must’ve been like for Pieter to ride in that Camaro convertible with team owners Bryan Herta and Michael Andretti as his son Alexander waved to an elated crowd. Few fathers will ever get a taste of tangible pride of that amplitude.

Usually the task of handicapping the Indy 500 is relatively straightforward. The Team Penske and Chip Ganassi teams are always near the front and have dominated the Verizon IndyCar Series the last few seasons, as have the Chevies that power both teams. In previous years, the list of favorites usually finds their stables near the top.

But Honda has toppled the status quo on the speed charts, taking four of the top five starting spots. Three of those went to Andretti Autosport, but a new titan has emerged in Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, taking pole position with James Hinchcliffe and putting all three drivers in the top ten.

And Penske and Ganassi didn’t even field the top Chevy. That honor went to Ed Carpenter Racing and driver Josef Newgarden. Will Power in sixth is tops among the Penskes, and Ganassi’s lead driver is reigning series champ Scott Dixon all the way down in 13th.

But qualifying speeds can be deceiving. Setups are more forgiving for the race and aerodynamics are adjusted to run in packs. Will the tiny edge that Honda seems to have in top speed be negated by running in packs and drafting by cars to pass them? In last Monday’s test session drafting passes were made by everyone. Does that put success more in the drivers’ hands? Will it be the bravest that triumph? The most experienced? Will the teams best equipped to adjust the car throughout the changing track and weather conditions over the 500 miles emerge victorious?

The answer is yes to all. The odds for Sunday’s race practically need to be two dimensional, a Venn diagram with overlapping circles. But since we’re limited to one dimension here, linear, here are my odds to win the Indy 500. The columns are, as follows: Odds to win, name, qualifying speed, car number/grid position/engine, and comments. Grid positions are L for left inside, M for middle, and R for the outside of the given row. Chevrolet is C, Honda is H.